Mean...Moody...Magnificent!

Jane Russell and the Marketing of a Hollywood Legend (Screen Classics)

By: Christina Rice

Narrated by: Amelia Bianco

Christina Rice offers the first biography of the actress and activist perhaps most well-known for her role in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953). Despite the fact that her movie career was stalled for nearly a decade, Jane Russell's filmography is respectable. She worked with some of Hollywood's most talented directors—including Howard Hawks, Raoul Walsh, Nicholas Ray, and Josef von Sternberg—and held her own alongside costars such as Marilyn Monroe, Robert Mitchum, Clark Gable, Vincent Price, and Bob Hope. She also learned how to fight back against Howard Hughes, her boss for more than 35 years, and his marketing campaigns that exploited her physical appearance.

Beyond the screen, Rice reveals Russell as a complex and confident woman. She explores the star's years as a spokeswoman for Playtex as well as her deep faith and work as a Christian vocalist. Rice also discusses Russell's leadership and patronage of the WAIF foundation, which for many years served as the fundraising arm of the International Social Service (ISS) agency. WAIF raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, successfully lobbied Congress to change laws, and resulted in the adoption of tens of thousands of orphaned children. For Russell, the work she did to help unite families overshadowed any of her onscreen achievements.

The book is published by The University Press of Kentucky. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

"A gutsy, full-blooded account of a life well-lived..." (Stage and Cinema)

"A better book on Jane Russell will never be published. Christina Rice has nailed it." (Classic Images)

©2021 The University Press of Kentucky (P)2023 Redwood Audiobooks

Magnificent!

What a great story and a delightful "listen." The warmth and expressiveness of the voice reading to us enhances the experience of learning about the life of Hollywood star, Jane Russell. We see her from multiple perspectives through the eyes of different famous iconic characters: Howard Hughes, Bob Hope, Robert Mitchem and even Groucho Marx! She certainly was a more complex person than meets the eye on the screen as Hollywood marketed her. Intriguing!

Wow…inside and out!

If you love, old Hollywood, you will love hearing about Jane Russell.

What a delightful book. Worth every moment.